Featured DIOSAs

Every DIOSA nail polish collection launch will be accompanied by the stories of a few women in hopes that they inspire you. Our mothers and our grandmothers are all amazing women but we are doing big things too and DIOSA wants to share that with you.

Be inspried by Rachel Luna:

Sometimes I stand in awe of my gorgeous family, adventurous lifestyle & financial freedom, and wonder –– How did I get here? Growing up in the concrete jungle of NYC, I dreamt of twinkling lights, red carpets and cristal-clinking galas. I thought I was destined for fame.

But a conversation at Footlocker changed everything. I was 16 when a co-worker said she was joining the Marine Corps. Even though I was 4’11, suffered from activity induced asthma and was athletically challenged (I was the girl who made excuses to get out of gym class), I wanted in!

As crazy as it sounds, I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. At 19, I enlisted in the Reserves. Four years later, I was deployed to Iraq.

After returning to the U.S., my journey took me from the audition rooms of LA(where I kept forgetting my lines) to scraping by on waitress tips to the prestigious boardrooms of Goldman Sachs. I found corporate America dull and Hollywood egocentric, so I went running back to my beloved Corps.Eighteen countries & four languages(ish) later, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life!

In 2006, I was stationed as a caregiver for wounded warriors at a hospital in Germany –– it changed EVERYTHING. Here I came to know men with missing limbs, gruesome burns and other life-altering conditions. Their positive determination to rebuild their lives forever changed my outlook –– life’s too short to continue living other people’s dreams.

I knew I wanted to combine my love of performance with my desire to change lives, but wasn’t sure how to do it. I also had a lot of debt ($40,000 to be precise), failed relationships and plain ole fear weighing me down. So, I invested in myself and hired a life coach to help me work through the sludge –– and it paid off!

Within ONE year (I kid you not) I got completely out of debt, met & married the man of my dreams and clarified my calling: empowering women to actively create their own lives. I don’t tell you this to brag –– today my life is far from perfect –– but to let you know YOU TOO can live your dreams. It all starts with a decision.

Why was Rachel selected?

Rachel's story leaves no room for excuses. She worked through the highs and the lows to get to where she is today. Our path to success isn't always a straight path. There are times when we want to pull off on the side of the road and set up camp permanently. Rachel's story tells us to keep driving until get to your destination. It's OK to make some pit stops as long as we don't get complacent.

Rachel started her family, her business, and even wrote a book overseas. If she can do it from the other side of the world, then what's stopping us from chasing our dreams here?

Be Inspired by BRASS:

According to philosopher Ayn Rand, "a culture is made, or destroyed, by its articulate voices". While I'm not a writer or an orator, my passion is the storytelling of various sub-cultures using the mediums of photography and documentary films. After studying Political Science at the University of Southern California, I dove right into the entertainment industry working in BET's Animation department. Production Assistant by day, LA Hip Hop photographer and chronicler by night I eventually went on to be published in magazines like VIBE and The Source for my candid portraiture of Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q, respectively. Keeping up with the ever-changing demands of internet media I began filming various documentaries which include the series Art Goon'in and The Internet [Documentary] that chronicles the lives of a few of Odd Future's lesser known members. I'm currently working on a documentary entitled NAILgasm, that explores the current Nail Art explosion that is taking place across the globe and its surprising impact on female entrepreneurship.

Why was BRASS selected?

Simply said: Brass has moxie!

From the time we are born we learn about the "American Dream": Do well in high school >> go to college >> find a secure job with benefits >> get married >> have two kids >> own a home with a white picket fence and a cute dog.

Brass made and followed her own American Dream: BRASS' Dream! She is young and already well on her way to making a culturally and fashionably significant documentary. Yes, this is her full-time job and she loves it! She not only dreamt of one day making a documentary and traveling the world while doing it, she is actually doing it.
DIOSA highlighted BRASS' story to let you know that it's OK to dream big and that it's OK to have the audacity to try to pull it off.

Be Inspired by Joy:

“How do you do it?” The most common question I get every time I am introduced as a mother of four, and of course then I add “yes, I do have a full-time job as well”. There is no simple answer, I do it, because it’s my chosen path.

I’ve always wanted the career and the family and I settled for no less. As the only girl of three, I grew up watching my parents struggle financially to provide the very best they could for us, especially when it came to our education and ambitions. I knew at a very young age that the only guarantees you have in life are those you provide for yourself, and in this belief, I set out to create my path.

There are always people and obstacles that will try to slow you down, for me, those things fuel me to work harder and challenge myself more. My experience growing up made me more determined that I would work harder to ensure that my children grew up without the same worries. So I put my nose to my books and focused on getting an education, my first challenge, getting into college.

I remember the day like it was yesterday when I first met my guidance counselor at my high school, I was 14, entering my sophomore year and as he looked at my class schedule and my gpa he was quite impressed, “I can do better”, I said challenging myself, but Mr. Pitt was already nudging me to entertain the idea of going to college a year early (immediately following my junior year). For a while, this was “out of sight, out of mind” to me. Then I met with my BRACE (college) advisor, and she was quite adamant about the fact that, although my merits were quite deserving of an Ivy league education, finances would be a significant hindrance on my personal goal. Now that was a challenge, and by the spring of my junior year, I was not only showing my guidance counselor and BRACE advisor my acceptance letters into all the universities I had applied to, but also the financial packages which would allow for me to attend any of these schools at the ripe age of 16 (check two challenges off the list).

By the age of 23, I had acquired a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and a Master of Science Degree in Financial Mathematics (the only Latina in my class). Upon graduation, I went to NY to find a job and landed a full-time position as a financial analyst for a boutique investment bank in London where I lived and worked for a year and then returned to New York. At that point, my career was on the rise, I had an amazing boyfriend who had been with me through graduate school in Chicago, long-distance while in London and then met me in New York so naturally, within the year I returned from London we married and were expecting our first daughter. That was 2006 and in the last six years, our family has grown to 4 kids ages 6,4,3 and 6 months and we’ve resettled in Florida where I still work as a senior executive in the finance industry. I also sit on the Board of Trustees of my sorority’s Education Foundation which grants scholarships to young women pursuing their undergraduate or graduate degree, and my husband and I are well on our way to running our own business – an eco-friendly clothing line.

So back to the original question, “How do you do it?” Think about what it is you truly want and make your own rules, set your goals and recognize that there will be challenges, but victory is that much sweeter when you’ve worked so hard to get there. Know that the only obstacles you have are those you let come between you and the finish line.

Why was Joy selected?

Joy is a superwoman in my eyes. She maintains her household, raises four children, maintains a strong marriage, has moved up the ranks professionally, and runs a business. I'm not saying things are perfect in Joy's life. I'm sure there are days that she can't cross everything off of her "To-Do" list. I'm sure there are days that it seems impossible to do everything perfectly. But, she continues to do it and continues to try. I admire Joy for having the moxie to follow her dreams. I admire the support that she and her husband give one another. If Joy can follow through with her passions while raising 4 kiddies, having a professional career, and maintaining a household -- then so can you!!

Be Inspired by Brittany!

When people ask me why I chose to start a beauty blog, I tell them that beauty blogging chose me. I started blogging at Clumps of Mascara 5 years ago and had no idea that it would take off the way it has. Blogging gives me the opportunity to combine all of my loves; writing, technology, beauty (obviously, lol) and communicating with people all over the world. It’s a good time to be a beauty blogger for many reasons but mainly because brands are considering us to reputable sources. Any time I feel as if I haven’t done “enough” in my 27 years of life, I simply log-on to ClumpsOfMascara.com or read the countless emails I get from women who tell me how a lipstick I’ve recommended has made them feel more confident. I’ll be the first to declare that cosmetics isn’t a necessity. If anything, I would consider it to be an accessory and it’s amazing what just a touch of blush or swipe of nail polish can do to make a woman feel better about herself.

After college, I served an AmeriCorps service term and then went to work into state government. I became complacent and was under the impression that I’d be stuck working jobs that I didn’t like just to pay the bills. I just knew that I’d never be able to be my own boss. I was too young. I didn’t have experience. I didn’t know where to start. It’s so sad how we can be our biggest critics. One day it clicked. I realized that I didn’t have to have a lot of money, time or experience to be my own boss. Little by little, I began taking this “blogging thing” more seriously. I went to conferences to network and would spend every available moment crafting my brand. I stopped making excuses. I realized that I didn’t have to live in New York City to be taken seriously as a beauty editor. I didn’t wait for someone to “discover” me. Instead, I continue to work diligently and passionately in hopes that one day I can be my own boss full-time. In the meantime, I’ll continue to let my little beauty light shine for the world to see.

Why was Brittany selected?

I stumbled upon Brittany's blog during my nail polish research. Her writing style is consistent, unique, and down to earth. I enjoyed reading her posts and product reviews. I decided to feature Brittany when her mascara review resulted in a feature of her blog logo and name at Target stores! Yes, you can stumbled upon her mark at Target. I have many friends who want to become bloggers. Unfortunately, many start and after a few posts they abandon their blogs. I'm sharing Brittany's story to inspire aspiring bloggers to stick to it because blogging is a reputable media outlet and you can gain a loyal following and even national recognition.... just like Brittany! Brittany is fully dedicated to her passion and has found her unique voice in the blogosphere... and so can you!